Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for paging during discontinuous reception (DRx) and paging operations.
To alert a wireless device to incoming data (e.g., a short messaging service (SMS) message), a communication network may broadcast paging messages during periodic paging occasions. Accordingly, a conventional wireless device may wake up at each paging occasion in order to monitor for paging messages from the communication network. For example, in a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication network, one paging occasion may be scheduled every 1.28 seconds. As such, a conventional wireless device operating in an LTE communication network may wake up and monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for paging messages every 1.28 seconds.
Notably, the length of paging cycles (i.e., time elapsed between consecutive paging occasions) implemented by a communication network may have significant impact on the power profile of a conventional wireless device. When the length of the paging cycles is relatively short, a conventional wireless device may wake up and monitor for paging messages from the communication network more frequently. Consequently, even though a conventional wireless device may be more responsive (i.e., quicker to detect incoming data) as a result of shorter paging cycles, it may also consume significantly more power and drain its power supply at a much faster rate.
Many wireless applications (e.g., pet tracking) may limit the physical dimensions of the corresponding wireless devices (e.g., wireless pet collar). A compact wireless device may be unable to accommodate a large power pack and thus cannot sustain conventional length paging cycles (e.g., 1.28 seconds in a LTE communication network) over a reasonable operation period (e.g., 2 or 3 years).
Moreover, the requirements for responsiveness and power consumption may vary for different wireless applications and/or wireless devices, as well as for different operation conditions. For example, some wireless applications (e.g., wireless parking meters) deployed in certain locations (e.g., downtown) and during certain time periods (e.g., weekends) may be more tolerant to response delays concomitant with longer paging cycles. Meanwhile, wireless devices used in some applications (e.g., wireless parking meter) may have more capacity to hold a larger power pack and can therefore afford shorter paging cycles. Thus, the single length paging cycle implemented by a communication network may not be suitable across different wireless applications and/or wireless devices.
Therefore, what is needed is a system, apparatus, and method that overcomes these significant problems found in the aforementioned conventional systems.